In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Fo Guang Shan and the centennial birth anniversary of its founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the Fo Guang Shan Chicago Buddhist Temple hosted a series of commemorative events. On May 10, Mother’s Day, a Sutra Transcription Dharma Service was held, where devotees settled their minds through brush and ink, transcribing sacred texts to express gratitude for the Buddha, their parents, and their spiritual teacher. This was followed on May 17 by a special memorial program titled “Spiritual Pilgrimage: The Story of Fo Guang Shan.” The series of events drew nearly one hundred devotees who gathered to look back at the historic founding of the order.
Abbess Venerable Yong Han led the assembly in revisiting the hardships Venerable Master Hsing Yun faced six decades ago when building Fo Guang Shan from the ground up. In those early days, the Master vowed to establish a monastery on a remote and barren hillside—a place so desolate that locals described it as a wasteland “where even ghosts wouldn’t go.” One of the critical sources of funding to purchase the land came from the royalties and writing fees the Master earned from his book, Biography of Master Yulin. With that funding, combined with the steadfast support of the youth and devotees from Yilan, the land for what is now Fo Guang Shan was finally acquired.
Even more inspiring is that sixty years ago, Venerable Master Hsing Yun had already envisioned the complete blueprint of Fo Guang Shan for the decades to come. Today, the entire layout and foundational infrastructure align almost perfectly with his original vision, brought to fruition step by step. From the main monastery grounds to the subsequent completions of the Buddha Museum and the Sutra Repository, the expansion fully manifests a pure land on earth equipped with the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), witnessing the realization of his grand vow to “let the Dharma water flow across the five continents.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming expansion project of the Chicago temple, Venerable Yong Han encouraged the community to embrace challenges with the pioneering spirit of the early days. Using a basketball analogy, she noted that “the greater the pressure, the higher the bounce,” urging everyone to show resilience in overcoming setbacks to jointly complete the temple expansion, allowing more people to benefit from the Dharma.
During the pilgrimage event, members from both the English and Chinese sub-chapters of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), along with the temple’s little bodhisattvas, sang “The Song of Fo Guang Shan” to express their deep appreciation for Venerable Master Hsing Yun and their blessings for the 60th anniversary. A “Fo Guang 60” birthday cake was shared with the assembly to celebrate the joy and thank the volunteers and Fo Guang families for their long-standing dedication.
Following the celebration, participants took part in a hands-on workshop to create multi-layered stamped postcards under the theme “60 Years of Passing the Lamp: Honoring a 100-Year Legacy.” Through stamping different layers of color, devotees created their own unique commemorative postcards. The gradual completion of the colorful designs symbolized the inheritance and continuous expansion of the lamp of Dharma.
BLIA English Sub-chapter member Trudie Kanter shared that she first came to the temple so that her daughter, Emma, could grow up surrounded by compassion, tolerance, and positive values. Now 12 years old, Emma is already able to play Buddhist ritual instruments during Dharma services, which brought her mother immense joy. Trudie noted that this journey helped her truly understand the Master’s teachings: “never forget one’s initial resolve, be willing to serve happily, and take personal responsibility for everything.” As an expatriate, she expressed her gratitude for finding a sense of peace and direction in life through Humanistic Buddhism.
Dong-Hang Li, an entrepreneur originally from Indiana, expressed deep admiration for the Master’s unwavering determination to propagate the Dharma and benefit all beings despite facing severe adversity. Through sutra transcription, pilgrimage stories, sharing circles, and the passing of the lamp, the assembly not only reviewed Fo Guang Shan’s 60-year history of propagation but also re-energized their collective strength in faith, vows, and action. Together, they vowed to continue spreading the compassion and wisdom of Humanistic Buddhism, allowing the Buddha’s light to shine upon every corner of the world.